


Rescue

by TheGreatCatsby



Series: If You Take Things Apart [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Loki Is A Jerk, Pepper is awesome, dead that's where, where would tony be without pepper?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-28
Updated: 2013-05-28
Packaged: 2017-12-13 05:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/820483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatCatsby/pseuds/TheGreatCatsby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has gotten involved with SHIELD's most wanted villain, and Pepper doesn't like it. And then she finds herself face-to-face with said villain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rescue

“Anthony Edward Stark, what have you done?” 

Tony shut down the program on his computer that was running tests and models on Loki’s magic (specifically, the recordings of Loki’s teleportation) and ran a hand through his hair. “Nice to see you too, Pepper.” 

He turned around. Pepper was standing at the threshold of the workshop, looking gorgeous in a white blazer and skirt, her strawberry-blond hair falling around her shoulders. 

She looked pissed. 

“How was your trip?” Tony asked. 

Pepper took a few long strides across the room and stopped right in front of Tony, putting her hands on her hips. “It would have been better if I didn’t find out what you were doing while I was away.”

“Pepper,” Tony said, “it was nothing bad-“

“I was gone for four weeks-“

“I mean, I’m alive, that’s all you can ask for-“

“You could have called-“

“-the tower’s intact-“

“-you should have listened, and I had to hear it from Jarvis of all people-“

“Jarvis isn’t a person, honey.” 

Pepper glared at him. “Please tell me why you’ve been having conversations with a war criminal.” 

“If I tell you-wait, Jarvis, you told her? Who else did you tell, SHIELD?” 

“I felt it was prudent that Miss Potts know, sir,” Jarvis said. “SHIELD remains unaware of the full extent of your contact with Mr. Laufeyson.” 

“Which is ridiculous,” Pepper added. “Because SHIELD can protect you, Tony. You’re dealing with some guy who threw you out a window the first time you met each other. That’s not okay!”

“Is this an intervention?” Tony asked. He was beginning to feel cornered. 

“Sir, I must express my agreement with Miss Potts at this time,” Jarvis said. “Your relationship to Mr. Laufeyson is dangerous at best.” 

“I didn’t program you to have opinions, Jarvis,” Tony snapped. “Nobody asked you.” 

“Actually, sir, you did,” Jarvis said. 

“I hate you.” Tony stood up and held out his arms to Pepper. “Can I get a hug?” 

“No,” Pepper said. “You could’ve gotten killed. You can still get us killed. He’s a maniac on the loose and why are you even talking to him, anyway?” 

That was a good question. “He’s interesting,” Tony said. Pepper gave him a Look. Tony added, “He’s got magic. Magic isn’t a thing. Science is a thing. I want to see how it works. I mean, he hasn’t agreed to those terms specifically, but the more he comes around the more readings Jarvis gets, and right now I’m trying to figure out how his teleportation trick works, see if those guys from Star Trek are right or if it’s-“ 

“Terms,” Pepper repeated. “Your terms. And you never thought that maybe you should, I don’t know, involve someone else in this?” 

“Like who?” 

“Like his brother. Thor, remember him?” 

Tony sighed. “Yeah, Thor looks like a kicked puppy whenever anyone brings Loki up. Loki isn’t exactly stable, or anything. And he certainly isn’t ready to talk to Thor. Whatever happened, he told me himself, he won’t be the same person he was before. And that’s what Thor wants from him. He wants the old Loki back, whoever that was, and that’s not happening.” 

Pepper looked surprised. “He told you that?” 

“Yeah.” It was strange to say it out loud. Loki had told him something. And it had been personal. And it hadn’t been a death threat. It had been insight. “He doesn’t say much. I don’t know who he was, though. I don’t know what Thor wants from him.” 

“It isn’t your job to fix him,” Pepper pointed out. 

“I know.” Tony hadn’t really thought about it. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Guy’s a bag of cats. I just want his magic.” 

“I don’t think that’s it,” Pepper said. She knew him too well. “The point is, you can’t deal with him by yourself.” 

“What if there’s nothing to deal with?” Tony asked. “What if he’s over whatever crazy thing it is that caused him to destroy New York?” 

“You just don’t get over that,” Pepper said. She sighed and added, “We can talk about this later. I’m tired. I’m jet-lagged.” 

Tony hugged her and murmured in her ear, “Want a massage?” 

Pepper laughed, soft. “I would love one.” 

“And then something a bit…better than a massage?” 

“You know me too well.” 

And that would have been fine. 

But in Tony Stark’s life, things were never just fine. 

Two days later Pepper was taken hostage. 

**

“For fuck’s sake—Jarvis, what happened?” 

“Sir, at approximately 14:00 hours Mr. Laufeyson broke into your Tower and disappeared with Miss Potts, reappearing at your mansion in upstate New York. He has overridden my programming and locked down the mansion. Miss Potts is still alive. I cannot contact them.” 

“How the fuck did he do that?” Tony asked through gritted teeth. “Figure it out. I’m heading over there. Tell the team I’ll be back later.” 

“Sir,” Jarvis said, “would it not be prudent to tell them-“

“It would be prudent,” Tony snapped, “but I’m not going to.” 

At some point during the time Tony and the Avengers had been fighting a new villain in downtown New York City, Loki had broken into his tower and taken Pepper, and it made Tony furious. If Loki hurt Pepper, Tony would have no problem tossing Loki into the void himself, Thor and Asgard be damned. If Pepper died—well, he didn’t want to think about that. 

He flew as fast as the suit allowed towards his mansion, as Jarvis tried and failed again and again to make a call to the mansion. Loki had blocked everything. Almost as if he were the one who’d invented the mansion’s security system and not Tony. 

That in itself made Tony even more angry. Nobody should have been able to tamper with his programs except for him. 

Still, he kept trying, and as he got within twenty miles of the mansion one of the calls went through. 

“Ah, Mr. Stark.” That was Loki’s voice, calm and annoyingly over-confident as always. “I assume you’re on your way. In fact, your machine tells me that you’re twenty minutes out.” 

“And closing,” Tony said. “You know, I was willing to give you a chance. I listened to you. I fucking didn’t tell SHIELD about you and now you take Pepper-“

“Yes,” Loki said. 

“What?” 

“Miss Potts and I have unfinished business,” Loki continued. “I’m afraid I can’t have you interrupting us.” 

“Well, too bad, because I’m gonna-“

“Sir, your power is dropping rapidly,” Jarvis interrupted. “Thirty percent-fifteen-ten-“

“That’s not possible,” Tony breathed. “Jarvis, what’s going on?” 

“I—one—prepare for crash landing.” 

“What?!” 

Suddenly, the air dropped out from underneath him. Tony fell towards the snow-covered trees that made up the desolate forests of upstate New York. He managed to get the rockers working briefly to slow his fall, but crashed hard into at least five trees before landing in a burst of snow. 

“Fuck!” Tony screamed. He turned around. Nothing but trees. His suit lay on the ground in pieces. He picked up the helmet. “Jarvis, please tell me you can get me out of here?” 

“Sir,” Jarvis said, voice coming in distorted, “I have been ordered to take a nap.” 

“You’re a robot, you don’t take naps!” Tony yelled. “Come on, Jarvis, I’m your creator and I order you to wake up. Jarvis? I swear-“ 

“Goodnight, sir,” Jarvis said. 

Tony threw the helmet against the tree, which solved nothing. 

**

“I don’t like you,” Pepper told Loki as soon as they re-appeared in the mansion. Teleportation was smoother than she’d thought it would be, and faster. She was still holding the cup of coffee she’d been drinking, and it was undisturbed. 

“I don’t need you to like me,” Loki said, “but we need to talk.” 

“About?” 

“About Stark, of course.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes. “When is it ever not about Tony?” 

Which was how they ended up sitting in Tony’s mansion workshop in chairs across from each other. Pepper had a fresh cup of coffee. Loki had a mug of tea steaming on the table beside his chair. But he was more interested in her. 

“I hope you know,” Pepper said, “that if you try anything, I will have to retaliate and it won’t be pretty.” It wasn’t an empty threat, but she wasn’t sure if it meant anything in the face of someone who could throw a grown man out a window. 

“I assume you know that I’ve been in contact with Stark,” Loki said. “This has been…a secret. For lack of a more creative term.”

“And you love creativity, don’t you,” Pepper said. Loki smirked. “But yes, I do know. I don’t like it. I’m sure you can understand why.” 

“I can understand,” Loki said. “I am more than capable. I simply want to ensure your cooperation.” 

“Oh.” Pepper took a sip of her coffee. “You mean that I won’t tell SHIELD? Or the Avengers? And that I’ll let it continue to happen?” 

“Yes.” Loki picked up his mug, steam curling from his drink into the air. “You hold a certain power over Stark and his company. I have no doubt that you can make things difficult for me. And I would like things to be…less difficult. When things are difficult, people get hurt.” 

“Like they did in New York City, when you attacked,” Pepper said. “Look, you’re right, no matter what Tony says I can always do something different, especially if I feel it’s for his own good. Like telling SHIELD would be for his own good. Why shouldn’t I?” 

“You want to bargain?” Loki grinned, amused. “I could simply kill you right here.” 

“But you won’t,” Pepper told him, “because if you want to continue talking to Tony, you need me alive. He’d kill you if you killed me.” 

“Interesting,” was the response. 

“And,” Pepper continued, “from what I’ve heard, Tony is one of the only people, if not the only person, who’ll listen to you. You’ve made enemies of everyone else-“

“They have made themselves my enemies,” Loki snarled. 

“The point is, you have enemies. And Tony’s the only one who gave you the time of day. So, if you lose him, you lose your only ally. You need someone.” 

“I don’t need anyone,” Loki snapped. “What I do, I do for my own pleasure.” 

“You have major family issues,” Pepper said. It was risky, bringing this up. But there wasn’t much she could do. At the moment, Tony was miles away and the mansion was locked down, and she had no weapons on her. All she had were her words. And she was good with words. “You’re not on speaking terms with Thor, or your parents, or anyone from Asgard. You’ve lost people, whether it’s their fault or yours. Something happened that made you lose your trust in them, and then you pushed them away. Everybody needs someone. And you find Tony interesting.” 

“No,” Loki said. 

“Why can’t you admit it?” Pepper asked him. “You’re so focused on telling me that you don’t need Tony, that you don’t care whether or not he’s angry at you because of whatever you do to me, but you haven’t killed me. You haven’t even attacked anyone or anywhere since you started talking to him, at least not on Earth, which is all we can ask for. And you talk to Tony about things-some personal stuff, some not, because you can’t just be straightforward. So just admit it and make our lives easier. I’m more likely to trust honesty.” 

There was a pause, in which Loki watched her. His eyes flashed with anger before he managed to control his emotions. He took a deep breath and released it. “You think you’ve figured it out-“ 

“Don’t start that,” Pepper interrupted. “I know I’ve figured it out. Not the whole picture, but some of it. Why do you keep playing this game?” 

Loki stared at her. Pepper stared back. Loki’s stare was intimidating, but Pepper wouldn’t look away. 

Finally, Loki said, “I could be lying.” 

“What?” Pepper asked. “What are you talking about?”

“I could be lying,” Loki repeated, “if I tell you that I need Stark. If I tell you that I am not sure what I want, but I find Stark interesting, because he is like me, a genius who was overlooked, misunderstood, but he made himself a better life. That I have red on my ledger, and I am a monster, but Stark looks past this, he, as you put it, ‘gave me the time of day’ and without him, I would be left to my own devices, and on my own I remember the void and become lost in it again, falling through space and reliving the horrors. I could be playing your emotions when I say these things to you. They could be lies, just as my toying with Stark could be a lie, as my threats could be lies, as the very man you see before you is a lie. How could you trust me?” 

“I don’t,” Pepper said. “But I can choose what to believe.”

“You would choose to believe a lie?” Loki asked. 

Pepper placed her coffee cup aside and folded her hands in her lap. She looked straight at Loki again. “I can choose to believe the better lie, if it is a lie,” she said, “and hope that it might be true.” 

“You would gamble on Stark’s life,” Loki said. “And hope to win.” 

“I would take a chance, like Tony took a chance, on you,” Pepper said. “But the second you screw up, I’ll make sure you pay for it. As you pointed out, I have many resources and I can hurt you. And I won’t hesitate to do so.” 

Loki fixed her with a hard look, and Pepper didn’t waver. He stood up and walked over. Pepper stood up as well. He held out his hand. Pepper took it; the hand was slim and cold, but the grip firm as she shook it. 

“Accepted,” Loki said. 

And then he disappeared. 

Pepper wasn’t given much time to recover. Jarvis’ voice came over the speakers, saying, “Miss Potts, my systems have been restored. Mr. Stark is en route to your location.” 

“Thank you, Jarvis,” Pepper said. Then she sat down in her chair, took up her cup of coffee, and waited.


End file.
